Martin
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Post by Martin on Mar 1, 2013 9:00:39 GMT
If you have any comment to make or questions following the recently posted interview with luthier Colin Symonds, please use this thread to do so  |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2013 10:30:23 GMT
Quality stuff. After I've done my teaching session I'm gonna sit back with a cup of tea and read the article. Back in a  ! |
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leoroberts
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My main instrument is: probably needing new strings
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Post by leoroberts on Mar 1, 2013 10:35:55 GMT
what a cracking interview! Sometimes it seems that questions can be longer than the answers but not in this case.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2013 11:03:35 GMT
I really enjoyed reading the article; thank you to all who put in the hard work to make it very readable - great images and sound clips! I have admired Colin's work as a luthier for a long time and the advice he has given me over the years with regards to neck joints, learning to brace as lightly as possible but preserving structural integrity right through to the application of oil finishes has strongly influenced me as a 'builder of stringed instruments'. Inspiring stuff.
Thank you again.
Welcome to the forum Colin!
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Mar 1, 2013 13:46:03 GMT
Great piece - thanks to Colin for being a willing guinea pig for the first Forum luthier interview; to Dave for asking decent proper questions and letting the interviewee actually speak (unlike almost every interviewer on the telly nowadays); and to Martin for putting it all together in a very eye, ear and brain friendly format. It will repay a couple of repeat reads I think.
Top stuff!
Keith
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Wild Violet
Artist / Performer
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My main instrument is: Symonds OM-14
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Post by Wild Violet on Mar 1, 2013 17:33:59 GMT
Very cool. Gorgeous guitars, and I can't even begin to think what goes into making a lute. That Black Limba sure is a nice looking wood. Will some of these guitars be making their way to HB4?  |
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colins
Luthier / Guitar Maker
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Post by colins on Mar 1, 2013 18:34:08 GMT
Very cool. Gorgeous guitars, and I can't even begin to think what goes into making a lute. That Black Limba sure is a nice looking wood. Will some of these guitars be making their way to HB4? Here's a shot of the back of the Black Limba guitar, it glows a really gold colour in the sun.  As does this one I just strung up yesterday using Cambodian Beng.  Colin |
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Martin
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Post by Martin on Mar 1, 2013 18:39:37 GMT
That Black Limba is absolutely stunning, Colin. Your guitars look fabulous!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2013 19:21:51 GMT
Wow, that Cambodian Bling....  Stunning!!! |
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007
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My main instrument is: 1965 Hagstrom H45E
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Post by 007 on Mar 1, 2013 19:25:27 GMT
Great guitars and a super interview Dave
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Post by markthomson on Mar 1, 2013 20:58:23 GMT
Great interview, very enjoyable read, and lovely looking instruments! A couple of questions, maybe a bit left of field, and the second one I was going to ask Dave about when I visit him in May; 1) Have you ever made any non-stringed musical instruments? 2) Do you think it would be achievable to build a guitar with a drone, maybe using the same kind of technology as the ebow uses (or something else that can do the same thing), on a low bass drone string or string(s) separated from the normal 6 strings? Having Dave's Baritone Harp Guitar to play at the moment has got me thinking about a deep sonorous droning string, and playing pipe tune type melodies over the top.....Bliss! (Well for me anyway  ) |
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Mar 1, 2013 23:47:41 GMT
......................... Do you think it would be achievable to build a guitar with a drone, maybe using the same kind of technology as the ebow uses (or something else that can do the same thing), on a low bass drone string or string(s) separated from the normal 6 strings? Having Dave's Baritone Harp Guitar to play at the moment has got me thinking about a deep sonorous droning string, and playing pipe tune type melodies over the top.....Bliss! (Well for me anyway ) Mark - that got me thinking - Colin says in his interview that he's been threatening to build a hurdy gurdy. Maybe the bass drone you are after could be obtained by a hurdy-gurdy-like rotating wheel (or wheels) "bowing" one (or more) of the sub-basses of a harp guitar. These wheels could be driven by small battery powered electric motors and possibly switched on or off with push-push switches placed for easy access to right thumb. If it were possible to slightly move the wheels away from the string, it would be possible still to use the harp guitar in the usual way. No idea how practical all that could be, but you never know. Colin? Dave? Keith |
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davewhite
Luthier / Guitar Maker
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Post by davewhite on Mar 2, 2013 8:31:39 GMT
Mark,
I think you are describing part of a Hurdy Gurdy but one of your hands is taken up in turning the wheel. The simplest solution would be to get a loop pedal and start out by bowing the drone string you want from the sub-bass then get the loop playing the drone and play your pipe tune over it leaving the sub-basses free to be played as well. I've seen guitarists like Ed Boyd use similar techniques to great effect.
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Post by markthomson on Mar 2, 2013 8:36:08 GMT
Mark, I think you are describing part of a Hurdy Gurdy but one of your hands is taken up in turning the wheel. The simplest solution would be to get a loop pedal and start out by bowing the drone string you want from the sub-bass then get the loop playing the drone and play your pipe tune over it leaving the sub-basses free to be played as well. I've seen guitarists like Ed Boyd use similar techniques to great effect. Hi Keith & Dave, yes the Hurdy Gurdy solution probably needs an extra hand unfortunately or a novel but time consuming to design bit of engineering as Keiths idea says, I had never given a Loop Pedal any thought....doh! Makes sense! |
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colins
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Post by colins on Mar 4, 2013 10:05:50 GMT
Great interview, very enjoyable read, and lovely looking instruments! A couple of questions, maybe a bit left of field, and the second one I was going to ask Dave about when I visit him in May; 1) Have you ever made any non-stringed musical instruments? 2) Do you think it would be achievable to build a guitar with a drone, maybe using the same kind of technology as the ebow uses (or something else that can do the same thing), on a low bass drone string or string(s) separated from the normal 6 strings? Having Dave's Baritone Harp Guitar to play at the moment has got me thinking about a deep sonorous droning string, and playing pipe tune type melodies over the top.....Bliss! (Well for me anyway ) Mark, no I've only ever made stringed instruments, guitars, lutes, ukeleles and violin, and have more stringed instruments in the planning as I said in the interview. I do sometimes have the urge to make a set of Northumbrian pipes, but the urge quickly passes. I'd love to make a harpsichord, but again that's a plucked sting instrument. The problem with all drone instruments is that they need a constant source of energy input to maintain the drone. My idea of making a Hurdy Gurdy was so that I can play the Northumbrian pipe music on a stringed instrument, but of course that too uses a constant input of energy to maintain the drone. A sympathetic string system can add colour to an instument, but not really a drone effect. Dave's idea of a loop could give you the sound, but could become a bit flat and lacking in character. I think a second player or a pre-recorded track are the best option. I used to love playing in consorts. Colin |
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Jo whoever he is.
